Summer Nationals appear to be headed to Connecticut

The New England Summer Nationals annual automobile show apparently is moving from Worcester to a Connecticut race track.

The event's organizers announced the news on its website, Facebook page and Twitter feed, saying the three-day celebration of hot rods and antique cars is planned for July 4-7 at Thompson International Speedway in Thompson.

Organizer Robert J. Moscoffian could not be reached Saturday for comment.

The Summer Nationals has been held for 22 years in Worcester, drawing an eclectic group of auto enthusiasts to a sometimes noisy, boisterous event.

Owners could display their cars on the grassy fields of Green Hill Park and sip frozen lemonade or spin their cars' wheels on the pavement of downtown Worcester until the rubber smoked. Spectators could hear a KISS tribute band, get a tattoo or watch young women in bikinis compete for the title of Miss Summer Nationals.

Mr. Moscoffian last year estimated 70,000 spectators and participants attended the 2012 show.

The event's apparent departure surprised some and contradicted comments Mr. Moscoffian has made in the past.

“They'd have to tie me to a car and drag me out of the city of Worcester, because I'm here to stay,” Mr. Moscoffian told the Telegram & Gazette in July 2012.

City Manager Michael V. O'Brien said the event was supported by the region's convention and visitor's bureau.“If they knew this move was underfoot, and I assume they must have, they did not share it with anyone,” Mr. O'Brien wrote in an email.

Donna J. McCabe, president of the Central Massachusetts Convention and Visitors Bureau, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mayor Joseph M. Petty said in a telephone interview Saturday night that he had not heard anything about the Summer Nationals leaving the city.

He said there had been some talk about possible changes to the event, but he never heard anything about it being moved out of the city.

Mr. Petty said the Summer Nationals had a good following and drew large crowds to the city, and he pointed out that Mr. Moscoffian donated money for the city's parks after each event.

Last year, for instance, Mr. Moscoffian donated to the city $20,000 from the proceeds of the New England Summer Nationals; the money is exclusively for the purchase of support equipment and maintenance supplies for Green Hill Park and Green Hill Farm.

But Mr. Petty said one of the problems may have been that Mr. Moscoffian was unable to get permission from the city to sell alcohol in Green Hill Park in conjunction with his event.

The mayor added that the fact that downtown is changing, with significant investments being made by private developers and some of the local colleges, may also have something to do with the Summer Nationals leaving.

Despite its ability to attract visitors to Worcester, the Summer Nationals has drawn criticism from some public officials and business owners.

City officials declined Mr. Moscoffian's request to serve alcohol at Green Hill Park, and in 2008 the city filed suit against Mr. Moscoffian to recover $78,432 for police details.

Restaurateur Robert “Gus” Giordano said visitors used to book rooms at a hotel in Lincoln Square and dine at his Union Street restaurant, Maxwell-Silverman's Toolhouse Restaurant. Now they park their cars and drink from coolers, he said.

City Councilor-at-Large Frederick C. Rushton said he felt mixed emotions at the event's apparent departure from Worcester.

The event drew visitors to Worcester but basically shut down downtown during the Fourth of July weekend for questionable economic benefit, according to Mr. Rushton.

“People are going to want to knock Bob (Moscoffian),” said Mr. Rushton, chairman of the City Council Economic Development Committee. “He brought people together, but he maybe just outgrew Worcester.”

Meanwhile City Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes, who has raised questions about the importance of the event to the city's overall economic development goals, said the move was “inevitable” because the Summer Nationals are no longer compatible with the downtown.

She said the revival of downtown Worcester doomed the location of the Summer Nationals in the middle of the city.“When the downtown started its rebirth, the end of the Summer Nationals (in downtown Worcester) was inevitable,” Mrs. Lukes said Saturday night. “The question was whether they were going to relocate elsewhere in the city or move out of the city.

“(Thompson Speedway) seems a more appropriate location for this kind of event,” she added. “It's difficult to continue staging this kind of an event in a part of downtown that is experiencing economic revitalization. It's just not compatible, and I don't think it has been compatible for a while. I think even the crowd attending the event was not particularly comfortable being in the heart of a city for that kind of event.”

HOT SHOW NEWS!The 2013 New England Summer Nationals will be held at the Thompson International Speedway July 4th - 7th! More info to come